Self Portrait

Mojitos

Mojitos anyone? Last night we had a Dinner Safari (or Progressive Dinner as they were known in the 70's) and not only did we have a different course at each house we also had a different cocktail as well- pina coladas, mojitos and mules. Yum!

You Are My Sunshine

Happy Friday everyone. May your weekend be filled with sunshine and smiles.

Love Thursday

I love Melbourne. When I was a child I always thought it was so boring to end up living in the city that you were born in but now I realise there is something special about knowing where your home is. I still get itchy feet and want to travel and I will certainly live other places than just Melbourne in the future but I think in my heart Melbourne will always be home.

Street Art Wednesday

I found these guys running up a hill on the side of a bridge. Are they marching? Are they running to something or away from it? Are they chasing each other?
What are you running to or from today?

Community Gardens

These community gardens are not far from where I live. It's great to wander around see what everyone is growing. This one particularly caught my eye due to all the basil. For some reason I always have trouble growing basil so I was envious of this garden's abundance.

Blue Monday

I'm feeling a little flat and unmotivated today after a fabulous weekend. The saving grace is that tomorrow is Australia Day and so we get a day off work. Monday's are so much better when they're followed by a day off!

Sunday pleasures

A relaxing Sunday walk by the river. Everyone seemed to be out today enjoying the beautiful weather including taking boats out on the river. How did you relax today?

Good Coffee

I love a good coffee. It's a real ritual to sit down and enjoy a well made coffee, there's nothing like it.

Anyone for tennis?

The Australian Open is on in Melbourne at the moment. I went last night an it was a beautiful night to be sitting outside watching tennis.

Love Thursday

I love this iron lacework on the verandas of old houses it gives them such character. It's a shame we don't seem to put as much effort into building beautiful houses as was done back then. I always wonder about old houses - who has lived there? how much the surroundings have changed? What stories could your house tell?

Street Art Wednesday

As I mentioned last week I'm getting quite into photographing street art and there's so much of it in Melbourne, it's fantastic. So I'm thinking I might make this a weekly feature, perhaps Wednesday Street Art Day. What do you think?
Here's some I came across in my lunch break in Union Lane in the CBD. I love the expression on the monkey's face.

Rain

I seem to talk about the weather a lot. Apparently it's a Melbourne trait since we are known as the city of "four seasons in one day". This past week has been the perfect example. Monday a week ago was 40 degrees (celsius) and then yesterday it was under 20 degrees and pouring rain. My garden has appreciated the rain break, as did this little fella.

Morning Walk

This was on my way to work this morning although the beautiful blue skies are deceptive as it poured with rain 2 minutes after I took this. The tall building is the Eureka Tower, Melbourne's tallest building. It's not much by world standards but it's the highest we have.

Farewell Tote

Today was a sad day indeed as one of Melbourne's most loved music venues closed it's doors. I was lucky enough to be inside having a beer while many people gathered on the streets in protest and disappointment at our governments liquor licensing laws which have forced this great venue to close. You can read more about it here.

Peaches

Today I have been eating these beautiful peaches straight off the tree. You don't get any fewer food miles that that!

I Wish I Was The Moon

Last night I went to see Neko Case and it was an amazing show, I loved it. I'm so tired today and as a result I've had this song stuck in my head all day. It's a beautiful song so it's not a bad thing really.

I know that's not really related to this photo at all but it's where I'm at today. Happy Friday everyone!

Love Thursday

Love really is all around us, if we just open our eyes and pay attention.

PS A shout out to Ireland - Happy Birthday Vanessa!

Under The Bridge

I'm noticing and photographing street art a lot lately and have been loving discovering it in unexpected places. This beautiful piece is under a rail bridge with a road on the other side of the pillar that the art is on. It's funny to think people drive along the road and ride a train over the bridge everyday but never see this. What are you traveling past every day without noticing?

Bird on a Wire

When I saw this it instantly put this song into my head and took me to another place and time. What songs do that for you?

Brunch

Yesterday I had brunch with a good friend at this cafe. I love all the old signs and the sides of old boxes that adorn the walls. The food and company were great too!

Dandelions

It's funny how sometimes something that is meant to be bad can seem good. Dandelions are supposedly weeds but they can look so pretty. How do we really know what's good and what's bad in this world?

Looking to the heavens

This beautiful church dominates the top of the hill. The view from the top of the tower must be amazing.

Beautiful Surprises

This poem was shared with me recently by Trude who was part of the Unravelling e-course I participated in recently and I'd like to share it here.

Beads of Life
by Nancy Wood

The space between events is where most of life is lived.
Those half-remembered moments of joy or sadness, fear or disappointment, are merely beads of life strung together to make one expanding necklace of experience.

The space between events is where we grow old.
From sunrise to sunset one day lives as another day emerges from the fluid womb of dawn, the first bead strung upon the everlasting thread of life.

The space between events is where knowledge marries beauty.
In quiet reflection we remember only the colored outline of events, the black and white of war, the rosiness that surrounded our first love.

The space between events is why we go on living.
The laughter of a child or the sigh of wind in a canyon becomes the music we hear expanding in our hearts each time we gather one more bead of life.

Let's take time to live in those spaces between events and see the beautiful surprises that are all around us. What beautiful surprises have you seen lately?

Wontons

Tonight I cooked prawn wontons. Delicious! My sister put me on to the recipe.

300g uncooked prawns

Coriander

Ginger

Chilli

Spring onion

Garlic

Soy Sauce

Sesame Oil

Wonton wrappers

This photo was before they were cooked. I'll definitely be making this recipe again. YUM!

Bush path

Where will 2010 lead? I'm curious and excited to find out.

Leaves

With all the rain and hot weather we've had lately everything is growing so well. These leaves are the most beautiful green - so new and fresh.

Street Art

I saw this cool little guy the other day. I don't know what he means or represents but I kind of like him.

Butterfly

I watched this butterfly for ages flying from flower to flower. So busy in it's own little world.

The path

Taking a walk around the neighbourhood. One of my resolutions for 2010 is to walk more and what could be more fun than taking a walk with the camera as well?!

Eerie light

Tonight we had another storm but just as the sun was setting an eerie yellow light was in the sky. This was my best attempt at capturing it.